How to Be Present in the Moment

Even an occasional session of meditation can be extremely helpful in reducing stress and improving one's ability to focus. Still, it can be hard to find time for hours of rigorous sitting. This exercise is adapted from a Buddhist tradition for developing meditative awareness throughout the day.

Instructions

1. Make a point of noticing every time you walk through a doorway. As you actually pass through the door, make a point of releasing whatever was on your mind, and focusing only on what you are doing. If you find it difficult to put all your attention on passing through the doorway, take a deep breath as you go through and focus on your inhalation and exhalation. When you have passed through, relax your attention and return to whatever you want to think about. At first it will probably be challenging to notice every time you come to a door, but just focus your mind in the moment when you remember, and try not to be concerned when you forget.

2. When you think that you are mindfully noticing almost every doorway that you walk through, begin to be present in the moment every time you sit down. Whether you are sitting down to eat, to work or to watch TV, focus for a moment on the act of sitting itself. Again, if you find your mind wandering in those moments, take a deep breath each time you sit down and focus on that action. Continue noticing the doorways, also.

3. When you are noticing almost every time that you walk through a door or sit down, add another type of moment, such as every moment that you drink water. This is a little tougher because it can take longer than a second, but it is still only a small part of your day. Whenever you drink water, try to focus only on the sensation of that action, and also on your breathing if that helps you.

4. It's pretty easy to see where this is going. When you are regularly being mindful of those three actions, Add a fourth. Choose something that you do frequently but that doesn't take long or require too much critical thought, and practice it in addition to the three items above until you are present in the moment at all these times.

5. Add more types of moment every time you feel that you have mastered your previous set. Eventually you will be present in almost all the moments of your day, and meditative attention will seem to come to you naturally.

Tips & Warnings

• If you find concentrating for even a moment challenging, the most important thing to remember is just to relax. Try again and again, and don't worry at all about your progress. Eventually you will succeed!